Torpedo and gun boat



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. J. GATLING. TORPEDO AND GUN BOAT.

N0.424,288. PatenEedMar.Z5,189-0.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. R. J. GATLING. TORPEDO. AND GUN BOAT.

(No Model.) V 3 SheetsSheet s.

R. J. GATLI NG. TORPEDO AND GUN BOAT.

No. 424,288. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.-

. I I H WW I; 28 2% 3? L N. PETiRS, Phutn-Lilhognpher, Wahingmn. u c,

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD J. GATLING, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

TORPEDO AND GUN BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,288, dated March 25, 1890.

application filed May 27, 1889. Serial No.312,32l. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LRICHARD J. GATLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Torpedo and Gun Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to torpedo and gun carrying boat-s, the object being to provide a boat for offensive warfare containing improved torpedo carrying and releasing devices and improved pneumatic-gun constructions for discharging a torpedo from a gun by pneumatic action simultaneously substantially with the releasing of the first-named torpedo; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the said torpedo-carrying and pneumatic-gun devices, and certain novel constructions of the boat to which they are applied, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims. I

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan View in outline, and Fig. 2 a similar side elevation, of a torpedo and gun carrying boat having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bow portion of the boat forward of line 2 a, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section,of the abovereferred-to torpedo carrying and releasing devices and pneumatic gun and certain operating devices connected therewith and with the torpedo-spar. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing a portion of the bow of the boat shown in Fig. 3 and portions of the torpedo supporting spars, together with a portion of the pneumatic gun discharging through said bow and devices for covering and automatically uncovering the port through which said gun discharges, all as hereinafter fully described. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a torpedo'shield which is attached to the main torpedo-spar. Fig. 7 is a section on line 0 0, Fig. 4, of a spar, illustrating a detail of construction hereinafter described.

The essential object of this invention is to provide, in connection with a light-running and noiseless steam launch or boat capable of great speed, a buffer spar or boom having a rearward endwise motion resulting from forcible impact with an object, which rearward motion causes a torpedo to be disengaged, dropped, and tired in advance of the bow of the boat, and a pneumatic gun containing a second torpedo or explosive shell to be discharged from a gun through the bow of the boat at or near the water-line thereof,

but in such a direction that said explosive shell will strike an object a short distance beyond the bow of the torpedo-boat below its waterline.

In the drawings, A indicates the boat, and

2 a spar projecting from and beyond the how of said boat, as shown in Fig. 2. The said spar is constructed, preferably, of two metallic tubular sections 6 0, (see Fig. 4,) united by an internal piece e, to which the adj oining ends of said tubular sections are pinned 7c.

or otherwise suitably secured. The outer end of said tubular spar-section b in Fig. 4B is shown broken cit, in order better to illustrate its hollow construction.

The object in constructing the spar 2 in two sections, as described, is to facilitate the replacing of the outer end of the spar after the boat shall have been in action, as said outer end or portion is likely to be greatly injured or destroyed either by being driven against a ship or other object or by the ex plosion of the torpedo which it carries, as below described.

The rear end of the spar 2 passes freely through the bow of the boat A just below the disk 4 is rigidly fixed on the inner section I) of said spar within said spring-case, and between said spider-disk and the opposite end of said spring-case 3 is placed a coil-spring 5, which exerts a constant force against the spar 2 to retain it in its most outwardly-projected 5 position and to serve as a buffer-spring to break the shock of the blow when the spar 2 is driven against a ship. The said spar 2, to distinguish it from another spar below described, maybe termed the upper or buffer spar, and has fixed on its extreme outer end a metallic gripper-head 6, having a series of sharp points extending therefrom, as shown in Fig. 4, which serve upon striking the side of a ship or other object to prevent the end of the spar from being bent or deflected from its right line of movement, and thus insuring to a great degree the proper rearward movement of the spar which causesthe release and explosion of the torpedo carried or supported by it and the firing of the pneumatic gun within the hold of the boat.

A second spar 8 is hinged by its rear end to the bow of the boat, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, and extends parallel with and under the said buffer-spar 2, said spar 8 being the one to which the torpedo 7 is directly attached by suitable metallic bands 9 or other proper means. The outer end of the spar 8 and the torpedo 7,which it carries, is suspended under the buffer-spar 2 by means of hooks 10, which enter rings 1.2 on said spar 2, and the downward motion of the outer end of the torpedo-carrying spar 8, when released and permitted to drop, as below described, is limited, as may be desired, by a chain 13, connected by one end to the buffer-spar, as shown, or di- 7 rectly to the bow of the boat, as may be preferred. The said torpedo 7 maybe provided with the usual percussion-fuse at its apex for igniting the torpedo-charge; or it may be provided, as shown in Fig. 4, with a fire-arm construction similar to a breech of a pistol containing a lock having a trigger and a hammer and a powder-charge to be fired by the action of said hammer on a primer in' the usual way for igniting the torpedo-charge, the trigger being actuated by the tightening of acord 14, connected to said trigger, and by one end to a reel 43, which is hung to the spar 2 to rotate on a shaft 44, a coil-spring 45 having one end connected to said shaft and its opposite end connected to said reel, serving to retain the cord 14 in a wound-on position and prevent undue slack, but yielding under a tension insufficient to operate said trigger to let out the cord when the buffer-spar 2 is driven back and the spar 8 and the torpedo 7 drop, said cord, however, being so short as to become taut and draw said trigger aboutthe time the torpedo shall have dropped nearly to its lowermost position, thus at that moment causing the torpedo-charge to be ignited and the torpedo to be exploded.

To provide requisite protection for the forward end of the torpedo 7 and its spar-supporting devices against the effect of any chance shot flying toward said parts, a heavy at such a distance beyond the bow of the boat A as will cause it when released from its supporting devices to be dropped within a net, which is oftentimes supported opposite the side or sides of a ship to prevent torpedoes from being driven L against the latter when said torpedoes are operated by submarine devices. The torpedo-boat herein described and referred to, which carries the torpedo in advance of its bow, as aforesaid, is intended to be driven by suitable steam-power at a high rate of speed, and consequently when the extreme end of the spar 2 strikes a ship against which it is directed the spar is driven suddenly endwise into the boat against the force of the spring 5, and afew inches only of such rearward movement of the buffer-spar serves to carry the rings 12 to the rear of and outof engagement with the ends of the hooks 10 on the under spar 8, thereby letting it and the torpedo 7, which it carries, downward to such a point or distance under the water as it is permitted to do by the length of the retarding-chain 13, be it more or less, and if the torpedo be fitted with devices for firing the same, as above described, which are operated at its rear end by the cord 14, which is drawn taut when the torpedo drops, the latter will be exploded when in its downward movement it reaches the limit of the length of said cord; and if the torpedo be provided, as aforesaid, with a percussion-fuse at its apex, it will be exploded when driven against the side of the ship.

The above-described rearward movement of the buffer-spar 2 is still further utilized to cause a pneumatic gun B to be discharged substantially simultaneously with the explosion of the said torpedo 7, as below described, the said gun B being adapted to carrya highly-explosive shell 16, which is provided with an ordinary percussion-fuse at its apex and is intended to be exploded by impact with the object which it strikes, thereby igniting the charge of and exploding said shell. The said pneumatic gun B and its operating mechanism are shown mainly in section in Fig. 4, and the positions thereof within the bow of the boat are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the muzzle of said gun being flush with the stem of the boat, as shown in Figs. 5 and 4, the dotted line y in this last-named figure indicating the contour of said stem.

The pneumatic gun B is supported within the boat in an inclined position from its breech toward its muzzle, whereby the latter is brought as indicated in Fig. 2, in which 0 indicates the water-line, near to said water-line, said inclined position of the gun serving to direct the shell discharged from it against that portion of a ship which is considerably under water. The said pneumatic gun is provided with either a solid or a tubular pistonrod 1.7, having the piston 18 and a spider-disk 19 thereon, whereby the piston-rod is main- IIO tained in a central or axial line within the gun. In Fig. 4 the said piston-rod 17 is shown to be tubular, for the purpose of illustrating one manner of making an electrical connection through the breech of the gun and through the piston-rod with the shell 16, if desired, said electrical connection being made by means of the electrical conductor 20 with any suitable generator, whereby the shell is discharged at a desired time by an operator.

The boat A is provided with any suitable well-known ai r-compressin g mechanism, with which connection is made by means of the air-conduit 21, the latter being connected to the side of a valve-box 22, in which is an airvalve 23, having a stem 24 projecting through the ends of said valve-box, whereby the valve is guided in its movements, a conduit 25 connecting said valve-box with the side of the gun near its breech, as shown. The said valve 23 is shown in Fig. 4 in the position it occupies before the gun is discharged, the valve being held in that position against the airpressure communicated thereto through the conduit 21 by a trip-lever 26, hinged by one end to the breech of the gun or other suitable fixed object whose free end enters a notch in the valve-stem 24, as shown thereby holding the valve in the position above described.

The connection between the buffer-spar 2 and the above-described pneumatic gun devices, whereby the above-described rearward movement of said spar causes the discharge of said gun, consists of an arm 27, rigidly fixed on the rear end of said spar, having through its lower end a bolt 28, which extends behind said trip-bar 26. It will be seen by reference to Fig. t that the position of said bolt 28 with respect to the rear adjoining side of the said trip-lever 26 is such that a certain degree of rearward movement of the bufferspar 2 is permitted, so that the disengagement of the rings 12 on said spar from the supporting-hooks 10 on the torpedo-supporting spar 8 may be effected and the torpedo 7 be permitted to drop, as aforesaid, before the triplever 26 shall have been disengaged from the stem of the air-valve, as aforesaid, and the gun B be discharged, this provision being made to secure the said action of the torpedocarrying devices slightly in advance of the discharge of the pneumatic gun; but, in fact, one action follows the other so closely that the dropping of the torpedo and the discharge of the gun may be said to be practically simult-aneous.

For the purpose of excluding the water from the opening through the stem of the boat A, through which the pneumatic gun B discharges its shell, as aforesaid, a cap 29 is pivoted by its lower edge to said stem, (see Figs. 2, 3, and 5,) and is adapted to swing upward and to cover said opening in the latter, as shown, and is held temporarily in said shut position by a pivoted lever 30 on the stem above the cap 29, the lower end of said lever bearing against said cap and its upper end engaging with a projection 31 on the under side of the spar 2, whereby, while the butter-spar occupies its above-described outwardly-extended position,the said lever 30 is caused to be held firmly against the upper edge of said cap 29, thereby holding it closely against the stem of the boat; but when said buffer-spar is moved inward, as above described, the projection 31 on the lower side thereof is carried out of engagement with the upper end of said lever 30, thereby releasing the same and letting it so swing as to disengage its lower end from the cap 29, which then is free to fall by gravity and uncover the said opening in the stem of the boat. The inner side of said cap 29, opposite the end of the shell 16 within the gun B, is recessed at a, Fig. 5, so as to clear the inner side of the cap from the adjoining end of the percussion- If desired, the torpedo-boat may be provided with additional pneumatic armament to that above described, arranged above the level of the deck K of the boat and indicated at 32 and 34.

that I claim as my invention is- 1. In a torpedo-boat, a torpedo-supporting spar hinged by one end to the bow thereof to swing in a vertical plane, a torpedo carried on said hinged spar, an upper spar extending from the bow of the boat over and in a line with said hinged spar having by impact with some object a receding movement, and devices, substantially as described, for suspending said hinged spar to said upper spar, which are automatically detachable as a result of said impact, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

2. In a torpedo-boat, a pneumatic gun discharging its projectile at the bow of the boat near the water-line thereof, an air-valve box having a connection with the breech of said gun and with a compressed air conduit, an air-valve operating in said box to close and open an air-passage leading from said conduit to the gun, and a trip-lever engaging with said valve, combined with a longitudinally-movable spar extending from the bow of said boat, having an arm thereon to engage with and detach said trip-lever from said valve when said spar is moved rearwardly, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the movable spar 2 and the boat, of a lever pivoted on the bow of said boat, having one arm thereof engaging with said spar, and a cap 29, hinged to one side of an opening in said bow and engaged by the opposite end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

4. In a torpedo-boat, a buffer-spar 2, aspar hinged to the boat 8, a torpedo attached to said hinged spar, a fire-arm, substantially as described, attached to said torpedo, having a trigger for discharging the same, a cord-reel hung to rotate on a shaft on said spar 2, a cord wound on said reel having one end connected to said trigger, and a spring acting between said reel and its shaft to retain the cord temporarily in a wound-on position, combined and operating substantially as described.

p 5. In a torpedo-boat, means for automatically operating a torpedo and for liberatinga projectile from a pneumatic gun at the bow of the boat from one actuating cause, consisting of a torpedo-supporting spar hinged by one end to said bow to swing in a vertical plane, a torpedo carried on said hinged spar, an upper spar extending from the bow of the boat over and in a line with said hinged spar having by impact with some object a receding movement, devices, substantially as described, for suspending said hinged spar to said upper spar, which are automatically detachable as a result of said impact, whereby said torpedo is dropped, and a pneumatic gun operated by said impact spar and discharging its projectile at the bow of the boat near the water-line thereof, an air-valve box having connection with the breech of said gun and with a compressed-air conduit, an airvalve operating in said box to close and open an air-passage leading from said conduit to the gun, a trip-lever engaging with said valve, and an arm fixed on said impact-spar to engage with and detach said trip-lever from said valve when said spar is moved rearwardly, as aforesaid, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

6. In a torpedo-boat, a torpedo-supporting spar hinged by one end to the bow thereof to swing in avertical plane, a torpedo carried on said hinged spar, an upper spar extending from the bow of the boat over and in a line with said hinged spar having by impact with some object a receding movement, a shield fixed on said upper spar in front of said torpedo and hinged spar, and devices, substantially as described, for suspending said hinged spar to said upper spar, which are automatically detachable asa result of said impact,

combined and operating substantially as set forth.

7. In a torpedo-boat, abuffer-spar projecting from the bow of said boat and longitudinally movable therein, a buffer-springin engagement with said spar, a torpedo-supporting spar hinged to the boat under said bufferspar, one or more hooks on said hinged spar extending longitudinally thereof,v devices, substantially as described, on said bu ffer-spar, with which said hooks engage, and a torpedo supported on said hingedspar, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

RICHARD J. GATLING.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLOWS, II. A. CHAPIN. 

